Box



C. H. BOMBARDIE AND P. F. WEGNER.

Patented July 27, 1920.

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C. H. BUMBAR DIE AND .P. F. WEGNER. B OX. v ION FILED JAN. 1). I917.

APPLICAI' I I Patented July 27, 1920. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES/ PATENT- oF Ifcs.

CHARLES H; BOMBARDIE, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ANIlT- PAUL F. wEGNERpOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO WIREBOUNDS PATENTS COMPANY, OF KIT- TERY, MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patnted July 2'7 7 1920.

Application filed January 9, 1917. Serial No. 141,472.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. Boarnxnnm and PAUL F. lVEoNnn, citizens of the United States, and residents of South Bend and Chicago, respectively, in the counties of St. Joseph and Cook, respectively, and States of Indiana and Illinois, respectively, have invented an Improvement in Boxes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on'thedrawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to boxes and in its more specific aspect to that form of box known as a crate wherein the sides are made of spaced slats. The purpose of the invention is to provide a light and strong crate in which a minimum of expensive material is used. \Ve also have in view the provision of a crate which may be used without a lid for measuring or storing purposes for vegetables, fruits or the like and to which a lid may conveniently be fastened by hand to provide a/thoroughly substantial shipping container.

Our invention will be best understood by reference to the following description of one illustrative embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate with the top or lid separated from the body;

Fig. 2 is a view of the crate with the top secured in position; i

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the blank from which the sides and bottom of the crate body are formed;

Fig. at is a perspective view of one of the end sections; and

Fig. 5 is a view of one of the lower corners of the of the crate partly broken away.

Referring particularly to Fig. 3, a crate embodying one form of the invention may be made from a blank comprising three sections,-1, 3 and 5-all of which may comprise cooperating cleats and side material; the side material preferably in the form of spaced slats 9, as shown, and the cleats 7 of the first and third sections, and cleats 8 of the middle section, preferably in the forms shown in Fig. 3, which sections are secured together in cooperative foldable re lationship by longitudinal binding wires 11, secured by staples straddling same and driven through the side material into the cleats and preferably by other binding wires 13 secured to the side material between the cleats. As willbe well understood by those skilled in the art, the parts of the illustrative blank may be folded up into the position they occupy in the completed box and the cleats will mate and the wires 11 and 13 may be tensioned across the dihedral angles of the box. In the "embodiment of the invention illustrated, the cleats 7 on the side sec- 5 tions are provided with mortises; and the cleats 8 on the bottom section, when used, are provided with tenons adapted tqenter the said mortises.

The end sections of the box are preferably formed so that they may be locked into place in the process of folding up the box blank. For this .purpose the illustrative end sections each include a. cleat 15 corresponding to the top of the box and adapted to cooperate with the cleats 7 of the side sections and another cleat 17 adapted to interlock with the cleats of the sections which form the box body at a location remote from the cleat 15 to hold the end'sections permanently in place. The cleat 17 may also contribute toreinforce and stiffen the bottom section of the box. \Vall-formingmaterial is secured to the cleat 15 and the batten 17 and in the present instance spaced slats 19 are utilized. .Referring to Fig. 4, it will be' noted that the lateral slats 19 are spaced from the shoulders of the cleats for a purpose hereinafterto be explained.

The cleat or batten 17 may be formed with tenons like the cleat 15 and suitable mortises may be provided in the cleats 7 to receive the same. In the present embodiment ofthe invention the mortises 21 on the side cleats 7 are made of considerable depth so that they are adapted to receive the tenons both on the cleats 8 and on the batten 17, as shown clearly in Fig. 5.

From the above description it will be apparent that the end sections can be securely fastened when the side sections and bottom sections are folded into form by making the tenons on the cleat 15 and bat.- 7 teen 17 enter the mortises on the cleats 7.

Any suitable means may be provided to hold the parts already described in form as an open-top box or crate. In the present embodiment of the invention we have shown (see Figs. 1 and 2) suitable nails or dowels 23 passed through mortise and tenon at the upper corners of the box.

To close the box a preferably detachable cover is provided which may be made of the same material as is used for the sides of the box body. In the present instance it is composed of a number of slats connected by binding wires 24' and .29 corresponding in position respectively to ftlhe wires 11 and 13 of the box body. The cover may be placed on top of the box after it. is filled and the wires of the cover engaged with those of the box body and a box having continuous wire bindings and possessing "2O practically unimpaired the advantages of the so-called wirebound box is the result. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the ends of the box are surrounded by con- .tinuous wire bindings and these bindings are, except on the cover side. secured.

through the side material and to the cleats, where they will, as is well known, offer the greatest resistance'to breakage of the box.

lVhile the wire bindings may be made continuous in any desired way, preferably readily detachable fastening means are provided so that the parts can be readily assembled by hand and so that the box may be opened andre-used a number of times. For this purpose we may conveniently provide a box with the prepared fasteners,

which are formed by bending back the wire on itself and intertwisting the ends with the standing parts. Through the loop thus formed in one wire, the twisted body of a cooperating wire may be inserted and bent over into a hook, asclearly shown in Fig. 2, the throat of this hook being preferably formed of a double thickness of twisted wire. This fastening may be readily made and released a number of times without impairing the strength of the wire and when the box is used as an open-top container no raw ends of wire are left projecting to tear the clothes or hands.

It will be noted that by spacing the lateral slats 19 of the end sections from the shoulders of the tenons that spaces 31 are provided adjacent the sides which assist in the thorough ventilation desired in 'a crate and also result'in an economyfof material. As the cleats 15 and 17 reinforce the crate walls. less and thinner wall material is required.

It will be apparent from the above description that we provide a box or crate in which very thin material may be used because the strength of wire is depended on rather than the strength of wood for withstanding the strains of shipment. Our em- -crate or of the fastening means.

bodiment also provides a form of crate which may be readily used without the top as a storage or shipping.receptacle, but which is provided with a top which can be easily storedaway and attached to the crate for shipping purposes whenever desired by the grower or farmer. lVhen the crate is used without the top it will be noted that the cleat 15 not only securely holds the parts in form and prevents them from wabbling or collapsing-but that it also provides a handle whereby the crate may be lifted. The construction of our crate and the novel manner of'attaching the end thereto reduces to a large extent the number of nails or separable fasteners ordinarily used in asv sembling a box or crate and a greater ease and rapidity of assembling than is afforded by the methods now in use is provided for. At the same time the parts may conveniently be shipped in knock-downyas shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and easily assembled without the use-of special machinery or skilled labor. The lid may, be conveniently fastened on without the use of nails or other separate fastening means and by the provision of the integral hookand-eye fastenings it is practicable to open and close the crate and fasten it for shipment a number of times without impairing the strength either of the On the otherhand. if desiredgthe top section may be nailed to the cleat 15 and the bottom sectionmay be nailed to the cleat 17.

We have described in detail the typical example of our invention disclosed in the accompanying drawing, but all the structural features shown and referred to are not, of course, essential to our invention in 1. A wirebound box comprising separate sections of side material and cleats for the sides and bottom of the box connected together in foldable relationship by binding wires secured to cleats of said sections; and separable end sections having transverse cleats secured thereto detachably engaging said cleatsof the side sections in a manner ,to prevent inward or outward displacementof said end sections and hold the parts in box form independently of'a. lid.

2. A wirebound box comprising relatively foldable side and bottom sections having cooperating end cleats and connected by binding wires secured to said cleats; separable cleats for the fourth side of the box holding said parts in box form independently of a lid: a separate lid-comprising side material directly applied to said cleats for the.fourth side; and separate wires connecting said binding wires across the fourth side and securing said lid.

3. A wirebound box comprising relatively foldable side and bottom sections connected ill x by binding wires; cleats on said side sections to which said binding wires are se-- cured; separable end sections having cleats for the fourth side of the box having mortise and tenon connections with the cleats of the side sections; a separate lid-resting on said cleats for the fourth side; and'separate wires connecting said binding wires across the top of the box and securing the lid. 5

4:. A box comprising, in combination, four side sections and one or more end members, two oppositely disposed side sections having cleats secured thereto and forming parts thereof, an end member having a cleat secured thereto and forming part thereof and engaging at its ends with the adjacent side section cleats to assist in holding said cleated side sections and the end in box form, said end member cleat being located substantially flush with ends of the engaged side section cleats to define therewith an end cleat frame, a third uncleated side section intervening between said oppositely disposed cleated sectionsand resting upon said end member cleat, and wire binding eneir-.

cling the box in the plane of said end'cleat frameand secured to the cleats of said cleat- "ed-side sections and passing over. and seable side sections connected by binding members, the intermediate section having a tenoned reinforcing cleat at each end and the lateral sections having mortised reinforcing cleats adapted to cooperate therewith, end sections having transverse tenoned reinforcing members arranged to enter the mortisesof the cleats of the side sections to hold the ends in position.

(1A crate having three relatively foldable side sections connected by binding wires, each section comprising spaced slats and end cleats cooperating with the end cleats of adjoining sections; end sections each comprising a cleat for the fourth side of the box cooperating with the cleats of opposite side sections and another cleat remote from the first having provision for interlocking with the said cleats of opposite side sections, and slats secured to said cleats of the end sections; the cooperation of the said cleat for the fourth side and the invided.

wires, each section comprising spaced .slats and end cleats cooperating with the end cleats of adjoining sections; end sections each comprising a.cleat for thefourth side of the box cooperating with the cleats of opposite side sections and another cleat remote from the first having provision for interlocking with the said cleats of opposite side sections, and slats secured'to said cleats ed to be applied to said cleat for the fourth side and having binding wires correspond ing 'to binding wires on the cleat body and A adapted to be connected therewith.

8. An open top box comprising three side sections, two thereof comprising side material and reinforcing end cleats and being op- --positely disposed in the box, binding wires attached tosaid side material and to the third side section, end sections comprising side material and upper and lower cleats,-

the upper cleats of the end sections being engaged with the cleats of the two oppositely disposed side sections in a manner to present displacement thereof inwardly or outwardly'of the box, whereby a rigid open top box of knock down construction is pro- 9. A' boxcomprising in combination; three side sections, two thereof comprising side material and reinforcing end cleats and being oppositely disposed in the box, binding wires attached to said side material and to-the third side section, end sections comprising side material and upper and lower cleats, the upper cleats of the end sections being engaged with the cleats of the two oppositely disposed side sections in a manner to prevent displacement thereof inwardlyor outwardly of the box, and a cover section comprising side material and binding wires adapted to fit directly upon said upper cleats ofthe end sections with the binding wires thereon in alinement with the binding wires of the three side sections.

10. A wirebound open-top box comprising three separate sections of side material and cleats corresponding to the sides and bottom of a box secured together in foldable relationship by continuous binding wires, and ends for the box having transverse cleats secured thereto and adapted to form a mortise and tenon engagement with the cleats of the side sections of the box to hold the ends against inward or outward displacement.

11. A wirebound open top box comprising of the end sections; the cooperation of the tachably engage the cleats of the side sections in a manner to hold the ends against inward or outward displacement. 10

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

CHARLES H. BOMBARDIE. PAUL EWVEGNER. 

